"It sprang up quickly...But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched..." Matthew 13:5-6 NIV
In the Parable of the Sower, one of the soils is the rocky soil where the seeds germinate quickly but the roots don't go down into the soil. When the hot sun comes out, the plants shrivel up and die. Sometimes people hear Christian teaching about the blessings of the Gospel and they are attracted to the possibilities of a better life. Their understanding of Christ's teachings is unbalanced. They believe that all their troubles will go away if they become Christians. They believe they can keep living their lives in the same way as they did as non-Christians but tack on a few Christian rituals and that then their life will be full of happiness. The Christian life does bring many blessings but it also necessitates repentance, sacrifice, and servanthood. The rocky soil does not allow roots to grow, roots that would transform a heart. When the inevitable difficulties of life occur, an un-rooted person is annoyed and angry, and determines that there is nothing to be gained by following Christ.
I pray that I will keep the whole message of the Gospel in my mind and heart. I will remember the sacrifices of Jesus and his apostles. I should not expect that I will not be required to also make sacrifices. But the Good News is that difficulties are only for a time, and life with Christ is for eternity.
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